Review procedure

I am convinced by the argument that the process for public comment has been
unsatisfactory.

See for instance:

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-patentpolicy-comment/2001Oct/0005.ht
ml

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-patentpolicy-comment/2001Sep/0750.ht
ml

It seems particularly dubious to have only one period in which public
comments are accepted and to short circuit normal processes such as making a
working draft available before a last call draft, and having a Candidate
Recommendation phase.

From:

http://www.w3.org/Guide/LastCall

I note the following guidance:

"The Working Group estimates which W3C Working Groups and other parties
should review the last call draft. It is preferable to secure review
commitments before announcing the last call. "

The rush of last minute comments suggest that the Working Group failed to
estimate clearly which other parties have a clear interest in review of the
last call draft; and singularly failed to secure review commitments.

The draft states "we believe Consortium policy regarding the interaction of
patent rights and Web standards is of significant importance to the
community-at-large, so we are seeking public comment". Following this, it is
reasonable to extend the comments period to allow deeper public review.

Contentfully: I am concerned about the building block nature of Web
standards.
A genuinely useful standard is used as a building block by other standards;
any standard produced under RAND is then unusable as a building block by a
RF standard. I think this is likely to undermine the overall standardization
effort of the W3C.

Jeremy Carroll



Please note: this message is my personal opinion; Scott represents HP's
official opinion.

Received on Monday, 1 October 2001 06:53:57 UTC